A Beautiful Beginning: Aria Mae’s Birth Story.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

This extraordinary birth story has so many parts that I don’t know where to begin. I asked both mothers to tell me what brought them to this point and to explain it a little further since I know I personally couldn’t attempt to tell it right! Their experiences leading them to surrogacy are heart breaking but the journey and blessing at the end is nothing slight of a miracle! I’m in complete awe of Elizabeth and Dave for believing in Taryn, their days must have been nothing short of riddled with anxiety! I’m even more in amazement of Taryn and her selfless, kind act to restore happiness back into once stranger’s lives. There are just so many levels to this tale that I, along with the world, just have so many questions!! Truly amazing and I’m thankful I was able to witness and document these sacred moments for both of these families! And let’s hear it for Taryn for growing a baby a couple inches and more than 3lbs bigger than any of her own babies! I mean, you can’t ask for much more than that dedication to a healthy baby!! A beautiful girl, just shy of 9.4lbs and 22.5inches born at 3:09am. Aria’s dad cut the cord just before they needed to work her up a little to get the gunk out of her lungs. Once back to Taryn’s chest, she had the honor of handing over the baby she cared for the last 38 wks, into the arms of her mom and dad who will take over the privilege from there. How incredible.

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Aria’s journey told by her mom, Elizabeth:

One thing I’ve always known is that I was meant to be a mother. That dream was nearly shattered when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 27 and forced to have a hysterectomy before my cancer treatment. The next several years were far from easy for my husband and I. There were many highs and lows we faced over the years. We chose two donors and were able to make multiple strong embryos for us to borrow the womb of another woman. Our first try, we used one embryo which split into twin boys! Our hearts broke when the babies were born way too early, at a little less than 20 weeks. Honestly, most hope that I had at that point was gone. We decided to try again with one of the embryos we had left. Early in 2015 Dave and I met with Taryn and her husband Jon. Before the meeting was over I had the overwhelming feeling she was the person meant to carry our baby. We did another single embryo transfer in June and a long two weeks later it was confirmed that she was pregnant! We were both so excited but also terrified and worried about our little baby. Everything continued to go well and each week that passed my fears were slowly lessened about our baby GIRL! The biggest comfort was knowing that Taryn was taking care of my baby like she was her own. She is truly an amazing woman and one of the most sweet, brave, loving and selfless people that I have ever met! I have grown to love her and her family who have all given up a lot to make our dreams come true! I always want her to be a big part of Aria’s life & for our baby to know the amazing woman who brought her to us!

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Aria’s journey told by her Gestational Carrier, Taryn:

Having struggled with fertility myself from endometriosis, the decision to become a surrogate was not a difficult one. I know just how lucky I am to have my children and having to endure several fertility treatments and procedures to get my own three kids, made me much more sensitive to those who cannot carry a child. I thought long and hard about the decision and made sure that it was right for my family before committing one hundred percent. However, I knew without a doubt that I was supposed to do this and that this is part of God’s plan for me. After meeting Elizabeth and Dave, I was even more convinced! This entire process has been one of most amazing experiences of my life! My children have gone these last 9 months knowing that this baby is not ours to keep but that she is ours to love! They said all the time, “Aria is not our sister, she’s our friend.” They knew that God put her in my belly for us to keep safe until it was time to meet her mommy and daddy! I have loved every second I’ve had with Aria but handing her over to her parents and watching them fall in love with her was absolutely the best feeling in the world. At that moment, I knew she was exactly where she was meant to be…in the arms of her parents! I’m so lucky and so blessed to have been a part of her life these last 9 months and I can’t wait to continue to watch her grow and to see who she will become. She is one special and one very loved little girl!

[…] so thankful to have the privilege of documenting their story twice over. Just as I asked after the first birth, mom wrote some words below to share with all the readers who can’t seem to pick their jaws […]

Fran -March 9, 2016 - 11:13 am

This is the greatest gift ever! What courage everyone had! Love is the most pure form!